Foldable drinking-cup.



F. GLASNER L G. ELLlsoN..

FOLDABLE DRINKING CUP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23| |916.

l 23916- Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

FRANK GLASNER AND GEORGE ELLISON, OF HINTON, IGWA..

FOLDABLE DRINKING-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jann, leali-5.

Application led June 23, 1916. Serial No. 105,481,

Plymouth and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful `Improvements in Foldable Drinking-Cups, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement jin foldable drinking cups.

In carrying out our invention we propose to` produceva cup of flexible water-proof maerialwhich 4isnormally sustained in a suitable casing in a practically air-tight condi- 4.tionso that danger of the same being contaminated by dirt, etc., will be effectively Overcome but which may also be easily and Quickly projected from the casing when in use.

It is a further object of the invention to produce a drinking cup of .a size suflicient when folded to be carried in the vest pocket of the owner or to be attached to the said pocket, thecup member, proper being at. all times inclosed inra plastic casingwhen not in useand being so associated with the casing as to form a part of the same, `and whereby upon a manipulation of a turnable member-,connected.with the, casing, the said ,cupwill be forced outwardly from the said casing when thesaid cup may be readily and quickly insertedin the casing whendesired.

Itfis a stillfurtherobject of the invention to produce a sanitary drinking cup compris .ing a flexible Aor textile water-proof mem berfthat is .connected `with a suitable shaft journaled in a two-piece casing, one of the v members of the said casing being also connected with the flexible cup and being i `hingedly securedto the other member of the casing, the cup being provided at the mouth portion thereof with means whereby the same may besustained in a cylindrical condition, wliilea turnable member is connected with the shaft whereby upon the operation the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of the impi'ovement, the textile cup being arranged within the casing and the sections of the casing lbeing folded and locked together,

Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view through the same,

Fig. 3 is a sectional vview showing one of the members of the casing swung away from the other member and the cup in its set up position, and

Fig. d is a top plan view of the device as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The improvement contemplates the em ployment of a split metal tube comprising two similar sections land 2 which, when their edges contact, provide a member that is circular in cross section. The members l and 2 adjacent what I will term the lower edge of the `tube are pivotally connected, as at 3, and the said tubeshave arranged upon both of their open ends flanged cap members 3 and d respectively. The cap member 3 which is arranged at the top of the tube may be provided with a false bottom that has a central opening providing a bearing for one end of aired or shaft 5, while the opposite end ofthe said shaft is approxi* mately centrally Asecured tothe lower cap 4:. The lower cap is of a greater diameter than the upper cap and is revoluble aroundrthe tube, for a purpose which will presently be apparent. The numeral G designates a spring member which is secured to the exten sion l and which exerts a tension or pressure between the said section l and the sectionl 2 of the tube, whereby to swing the said sectionQ upon the pivots 3 outwardly and angularly of the section l when the cap 3 is raised to bring its flange out of engagementV with the upper edge of the said section 2 of the tube. Preferably the upper end of the section l of the tube is extended beyond that of the section Q, so that the cap cannot be drawn entirely off of the said section 1, the upper end of the shaft being provided with a knob or flange 5 to limit the movement of the cap 3', while surrounding the `shaft and exertinga pressure between the lUti flange 5 thereof and the false bottom 3a of the cap 3 is a helical spring 5a The shaft 5 is prefeably slit longitudinally, the said slit being devised to receive one edge of the substantially cone-shaped body of a cup 7. 1t is, of course, to be understood that the cup member 7 may be secured to the shaft in any other desired manner. lThis cup may be constructed of rubberized silkl or may be of any desired elastic or flexible material, the same being water-proof and the said cup 7 is also secured to the inner face of the section 2 of the tube. By this ar 1angeinent it will be noted that when the cap 3 is actuated to permit of the spring t3 exerting a ten sion against the section 2 of the tube the said section will be swung outwardly at an angle to the section 1 drawing from the tube the cup member 7. The cup T is connected to the section 2 of the tube only at the upper portion of the said section and has arranged therein, at its connected portion, a pair of spring arms 8 and 9 respectively These arms are normally flat and h: e it' their ends pivoted, as at 10, to .rh the cap and to the upper end of the section of the tube whereb'f the said sections ma f normallv swinO l e one over the other against the inner face of the cup so that when the cap el is turned to revolve the shaft 5, he textile or flexible cup will be wound around the said shaft and such a winding will gradually draw the hinged section 2 ofthe tube inwardly of the section 1, when the cap 3 may be moved downwardly to lock the section 2 upon the section 1. The spring arms 8 and 9, however, are adapted to provide reinforcing elements for the mouth of the cup whereby to round the said mouth and to accomplish this each of the spring members 8 and 9 is swung in a Vline with the upper edge or mouth of the cup and their free ends are brought to con tact with the shaft 5. The section 2 1s then V'movedinwardly toward the section 1 until the spring members S and 9 are bent each to an approximately half circle. To hold the device in this position we provide upon the cap -1 a catch member 11 which has one of its ends pivotally secured to the said cap 4, as at 12. The free end of this cap may be provided with a lip 13 and this lip is adapted to engage in a depression 14 in the outer face of the section 2 of the tube. By reference to the drawing it will be noted that the catch member 11 is curved in plan to conform to the shape of the cap 4 against which it normally engages, and the said cap may be provided with a notch 15 to receive the end of the said cap to hold the same against the cap when the said catch is not swung to Y engage in the notch 14.

flange of the same is elevated above the' top edge of the section 2 of the cup. The spring 6-has a tendency to swing the section 2 outwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 2. .The bottom cap d is turned to revolve the shaft 5 to permit of the unwinding ofthe flexible body of the cup 7 from the shaft. TWhen the cup is brought to its. outer position as illustrated in Fig, 2 the spring members 8 and 9 are swungupon their pivots` tol bring the Vsame adjacent to the edges of the said cup, `and `as previously stated the section '12 moved or swung from the top thereof toward the shaft or toward the section 1 to pe'mit of the said spring members 8 and 9 bending themselves to provide each a substantially U-shaped member and Vto also conform or bend around. the edges ofthersection 2f .T he ends of the springs S and 9 contact with thes'lia'ft `at the opposite sides thereof, or the same may be secured to the said shaft if desirechandl when the said spring members S and 9 are thus sprung or bule'ed the lip 13 of the cap 11 is brought to engage with the depression 111 of the tubular section 2, holding the section Q at a desired angle with respect to the remainder of the device and also retain `ing the springs S and 9 in theirrounded or sprung condition. After the cup :has been used the catch member is swung away from engagement with the tube section 2 andthe cap member 4 is revolved around the section 2 of the tube, causing the cup 7 to be wrapped upon the shaft 5. Vhen the section 2 is brought adjacent to the cap',

the said cap is moved outwardly of the shaft 5 against thefpressure of thespring 5a, the cap 4 in the mean time being continually turned to permit of the edges of the' tubular section 2 contacting with the edges of the section 1, when the cap 3 is released to permit of its fiange engaging with the` upper and outer edge of the tubular section'?.

The device is extremely simple and may be highly ornamental and preferably the section 1 of the tube is YVprovided withaf spring` clip 16 whereby the device maybe suspended from the pocket of the user. The manner of folding the cup within the tube and around the shaft 5 will have a tendency to wring the moisture from the cup and a tube comprising two hinged sections, aT

shaft revoluhle in the tube, a textile substantially cone-shaped cup connected to the shaft and to the free end of one of the tube sec- Lamine tions, and means for locking and closing the sections to inclose the cup within the sections when the said cup is :not in use.

2. In a device for the purpose set forth, a tube comprising two similar sections hinged adj aoent one of their ends, a shaft arranged longitudinally of the sections, supporting members for the shaft, spring means for normally swinging one of the sections away from the other section, means for lockingl the sections together, and a textile cup secured upon the shaft and connected with one of the swinging sections of the tube ad jacent the free end of the said section.

3. In a device for the purpose set forth, a tube comprising two similar sections, flanged caps upon the ends of the tube, one movable to engage with both of the sections of the tube and the other rotatable around the tube, a. shaft arranged centrally of the tube and having one of its ends journaled 1n a bearing in the slidable cap and its opposite end secured to the turnable cap, spring means for normally swinging one of the sections away from the other section, a coneshaped textile cup secured to the shaft and having its outer end connected to the swinging section of the tube adjacent the free end thereof, and whereby when the turnable cap is operated to revolve the shaft the textile cup will be wound around the shaft and the swinging section of the tube will be moved against the other section thereof.

et. 1n a device for the purpose set forth, a split tube, the sections of which being pivotally connected adjacent one of their ends, a slidable cap upon one of the ends of the tube, a revoluble cap upon the other end of the tube, a shaft arranged centrally of the tube secured to the revoluble cap and journaled in the slidable cap, spring means for swinging one of the sections of the tube outwardly of the other section, a textile cup secured to the shaft and having one of its ends connected t0 the other end of Athe swinging section of the tube, a pair of flat spring members pivotallyI secured in the mouth of the cup and adapted to be arranged upon the said mouth to be compressed by a pressure upon the swinging section of the tube toward the stationary section thereof, a catch member upon the revoluble cap, to engage with the swinging section of the tube to hold the same in the last mentioned position, and a clip upon the stationary member of the tube.

In testimony whereof we atiix our signa* tures.

FRANK GLASNER. GEORGE ELLISON.

Copies of this patent :may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. E. 

